


Ginny Baker, In the Flesh

by Erandri



Series: Tumblr Fics [1]
Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 14:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8331109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erandri/pseuds/Erandri
Summary: The first time he hears the name Ginny Baker, it’s nearing midnight and he’s just getting off a seven hour bus ride





	

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn’t get Mike’s line in 1.01 about answering questions about Ginny out of my head and a little later this little pre-canon ficlet is born
> 
> Originally posted on my [Tumblr](http://www.erandri.tumblr.com)

The first time he hears the name Ginny Baker, it’s nearing midnight and he’s just getting off a seven hour bus ride with twenty-six other guys who smell like B.O. and too much cologne. His ass has been asleep for an hour, Hills and Mendez have been debating the finer points of Ghostbusters versus Ghostbusters II since dinner, and he can feel the relief wash over him when they pull into the hotel parking lot. The team isn’t even off the bus yet before the reporters are yelling their questions at them.

_Will Johnson be able to play after his latest knee injury?_

_Is it true that your wife cheated and that’s what lead to your recent separation?_

_Are you feeling confident that the Padres will advance in the playoffs?_

_What do you think of Ginny Baker?_

The last question makes him pause and for a second all he can focus on is the microphones in his face and the constant flashing of the photographers’ cameras. He has just enough time to say “Who?” before Blip is pushing him forward with a hand on his back, steering him away from the shouting and towards the air-conditioned lobby of the Hilton that will be their home until the end of the playoffs. Security stops the press at the lobby doors and slowly everyone goes in their own directions.

Some of the younger guys head to the hotel bar but most file into the bank of elevators. He gets off on the same floor as Shrek and Tomlin but heads in the opposite direction to his room after a quick ‘see ya later’. His room looks like the hundreds of others that he’s stayed in throughout his career but after the long ride the bed feels like he’s sinking into a cloud. He barely has the mental capacity to peel his clothes off before he’s passed out.

By the time he wakes, way too early the next morning, he’s completely forgotten the name Ginny Baker.

\---

The next time someone asks him about Ginny Baker, it’s Tommy. The whole team’s at a club celebrating the start of the season and somewhere in between the drinking and the ball bunnies coming up and trying to flirt with them all, Tommy slides onto the barstool next to him. He doesn’t say anything at first, just sips at his beer and pretends to watch some music video flashing on the TV. He’s content to wait Tommy out and it doesn’t take long before he leans over and quietly says “So d’ya hear about that girl pitcher? Ginny Baker?”

He raises an eyebrow in response and takes another sip of his beer because no, he hadn’t heard about a girl pitcher. In fact, in between his doctor’s prognosis for his knees and his realization that his trial separation from Rachel has turned into an actual divorce, he hasn’t been paying attention to much of anything.

“Think she’ll make it to the big leagues?” Tommy says it with a laugh but he can hear the slight worry underlying his tone.

“She’s just a fad.”

He finishes his beer, leaves Tommy at the bar and vows to forget everything about bad bones, ex- wives, and female pitchers.

\---

The problem with that philosophy is that none of those things go away. A second and third opinion confirm what his doctor told him about his knees, he receives official divorce papers at his new apartment, and all anyone in the league can talk about is Ginny Baker being added to the minor team.

\---

It’s only the second game of the season and it seems like all people ask him about anymore is Ginny Baker.

_Will a girl ever be able to play on the same level as a male player?_

_Is this just a publicity stunt to sell more tickets?_

_How does the team feel about the possibility of playing with a girl?_

_Do you think she has what it takes to play in the Majors?_

The questions keep coming until he starts to feel like he’s Ginny Baker’s personal spokesperson.

\---

By game four he breaks down and looks her up and for a society that records every life event online there is woefully little about Ginny Baker. There’s a bio on the team website saying the exact same thing that every other news article and talk show is reporting. Ginny has played baseball since she was two years old, she was coached by her father, and is an inspiration to girls everywhere. 

There are a few videos of her pitching at games and, even though most of them were either shot from the top of the bleachers or with what must have been the very first video camera ever invented, he can tell despite the shoddy quality that there’s something there.

As time goes on more comes out about Ginny and more videos of her are uploaded. Her admirers call her the next big thing to happen to baseball while her critics say that a girl will never earn a place playing in MLB. For her part, Ginny keeps out of the media. There are no scandals, no surprising revelations from her past, and she says all the right pre-fab replies in the few interviews that she does do.

After a while, things settle down and Ginny Baker becomes less of a potential teammate and more of a hobby, her career something he catches up on every now and then just to keep in the know. That doesn’t stop his irrational pride when he hears about her striking out the final batter to win their playoffs.

\---

Two years later he gets a call from Al. “They called up Ginny Baker,” he says by way of greeting and the only thing surprising is that he’s not really surprised by the news. It’s no secret that the team could use the publicity and he’s seen her pitch, she might just be good enough to play in the big leagues. “I’m gonna need your help keeping the team in line on this one,” Al continues and half an hour later, after talking about who’s going to be a problem and what alterations they’re going to need to make to their training, he hangs up feeling almost excited to meet his new teammate.

\---

They’re on the field waiting to warm up the first time he sees her. After all the media attention since the announcement, her arrival seems almost anticlimactic. She just walks onto the field, no introduction, no fanfare, she just walks out of the dugout and starts stretching.

No one moves to greet her, no one asks her to come over and warm up with them and, in fact, the whole team seems to be doing a very good job of not noticing that she’s there. So this is where he come in, this is what he and Al talked about right after she was called up, he needs to lead by example now and that starts with taking the few steps towards her and saying,

“Ginny Baker, in the flesh…”

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on [Tumblr](http://www.erandri.tumblr.com)


End file.
